Priority Issues

Priority Issues

Read about NVAR's work on several legislative and regulatory policy goals, including current priority issues, on-going issues, standing Public Policy Positions and recent Realtor® Advocacy Wins. Make your voice heard by submitting feedback for the annual NVAR Legislative Program, submitted every spring. 

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2023-2024 NVAR Legislative Agenda

Download the 2023-2024 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
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On-Going Issues

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NVAR Legislative Program

Legislative Program

Every spring, NVAR compiles legislative and regulatory policy goals for the coming year into a document called the NVAR Legislative Program.

The Legislative Program is developed over several months based on feedback given by NVAR members. The process begins in March, when NVAR committees and forums are asked to submit issues to the NVAR Public Policy Committee for consideration. Individual Realtors® may also submit issues to the committee. A task force researches these issues and recommends pertinent ones for inclusion in the Legislative Program.

Once a draft program has been developed, the Public Policy Committee reviews it and sends a final draft to NVAR’s Board of Directors for consideration. Following approval by the Board, NVAR forwards the program to the Virginia Association of Realtors® for inclusion in the statewide list of legislative priorities.

An important component of the issues we look at is your voice. If you have suggestions for items we should be looking into please email us at govaffairs@nvar.com OR fill out this quick form.

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Town Hall Notes Blog

FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of Public Policy News

Feb 25, 2022, 13:09 PM by Josh Veverka
1. Fairfax County executive proposes budget with tax-rate freeze, less pandemic austerity 2. Bi-County Parkway ‘back with a vengeance’ 3. NAR Comments on Proposed Anti-Money Laundering Regulations 4. Duplexes vs. McMansions: What makes a house too big for neighbors? 5. New Broadband Internet Options Close To Approval In Alexandria
FIVE FOR FRIDAYWelcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of Public Policy Issues and Headlines from around the Northern Virginia Region, the Commonwealth and on Capitol Hill.

1. Fairfax County executive proposes budget with tax-rate freeze, less pandemic austerity

Fairfax County Executive Bryan Hill proposed a budget Tuesday that would freeze the residential property tax rate while spending more on county services — part of a push to end fiscal austerity in Northern Virginia amid signs of economic stability during the pandemic. “These past two years have certainly been a challenge for all of us, but it seems that we may have turned the corner,” Hill told the county Board of Supervisors during a presentation Tuesday. Related: 2022 Fairfax Real Estate Assessments Now Available; Average Residential Increase of 9.57%

2. Bi-County Parkway ‘back with a vengeance’

Prince William County transportation officials are asking county supervisors to consider their support for a new, 10-mile bypass connecting western Prince William and Loudoun counties that would provide a link between U.S. 50 near Dulles Airport and Interstate 95 in Dumfries. At a planning commission work session on Wednesday, county transportation staff said they would seek the board’s approval to add the bypass, formerly known as the Bi-County Parkway but recently renamed the “Va. 234 bypass North,” back into the county’s comprehensive plan later this year.

3. NAR Comments on Proposed Anti-Money Laundering Regulations

NAR submitted a comment letter in response to the Financial Crime Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on anti-money laundering regulations for the real estate sector.

4. Duplexes vs. McMansions: What makes a house too big for neighbors?

The owner of a two-family home near Crystal City says he may cancel his redevelopment plans because county approval processes have delayed construction and run up costs. It’s an outcome that Planning Commission members have said would be avoided if homes like his — duplexes on nonconforming lots — enjoyed the simpler, cheaper reviews that allow owners and developers to replace aging single-family dwellings with larger, luxury homes, sometimes referred to derisively as “McMansions.”

5. New Broadband Internet Options Close To Approval In Alexandria

Alexandria City Council took the first step to approving ordinances allowing new broadband internet providers Tuesday. In November, City Council voted to seek proposals for franchise agreements to construct and provide broadband internet services to city residents. Currently, Comcast is the only broadband internet provider in the city. Four companies responded to the request for proposals, but only two —Lumos and Ting — are continuing to seek a franchise agreement. At Tuesday's meeting, City Council approved the ordinances granting broadband franchises on first reading. A public hearing and final approval are scheduled for March 12.